What Did You Do In The War Daddy?

Jackson R. Holliday

My brother and I often asked Daddy about the war. World War II. He proudly served in the Army Signal Corp. Mama still has his Army trunk in the basement, but she gave his uniform, pins, and training manuals to a World War II museum that wanted memorabilia from the Signal Corp, with our blessing.

His trunk was in my Grandmother's attic for years, along with my Uncle Pete's trunk from the Navy. I lived in the Hines Terrace house twice over the years and stumbled over those trunks many times. It is a wooden trunk and heavy as lead. Ask Sweetie Pie. He had to bring them down when we sold the little brick house. I want that trunk, but don't really have room here; hopefully Mama will continue to store it.

 Daddy went into the Signal Corp while at Georgia Tech. He was sent to the University of Maine for training. He had graduated from Lanier High School in the ROTC program, so he knew how to march a platoon. After a few days, he was tapped to march the men although he was a lowly Corporal (I think that rank is right. Forgive me if I'm wrong. It's too late to call Mama.)

When Sweetie and I married, we honeymooned in Maine and drove up to Orano and walked around the University campus. It was beautiful and I think Daddy was thrilled that I took the time to visit. He and Mama had made the trip up there a few years prior and found the dorm the Army used when he was there.

After training, Daddy was put on a troop ship and sailed through the Panama Canal. The ship was crowded and the sea was rough. Rations were limited. Daddy, a healthy member of Tech's swim team, wasn't bothered by seasickness. He and a few buddies would sit at table during meals and gently sway together, causing less hardy boys to hastily jump up and leave the mess, leaving their uneaten rations and more food for them.

Sailing through the Panama Canal was a highlight of Daddy's life. He was fascinated by the engineering feats involved to transport the huge ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He talked about it the rest of his life. He saw the world in the Army and was also intrigued by his visit to Japan. It is hard to imagine the awe these young men felt, most of whom had probably never been out of their state, much less their country, when they arrived on foreign soil.

I wish I could sit down with him again and ask him about the War as an adult. We are fortunate that there is a video of Daddy talking about his life. It was a project through Georgia Tech and in it he talks about his service to his country. I took so much for granted, his memories and recollections of a time long ago I had only read about in books and seen in movies. I'm sure all of his stories were sanitized for children's ears, but we loved to hear them over and over.

What did you do in the War Daddy?